A Certain Heavenly Angel
by Stormwolfex
Summary: Years ago, meteors descended upon Earth, bringing with them unknown guests. No one is aware of their existence until Shinji Ikari transfers to Academy City, starting a string of events that will forever change the world... much to Touma's misfortune.
1. Beginnings

_**Author's Notes: Hello everyone and welcome to another fic that has been brewing for a while now! This is a joint collaboration with Zaru and myself. Zaru was the one who came up with this idea and I'm merely running with it to produce a story.**_

_**This is a Neon Genesis Evangelion x To Aru Majutsu no Index crossover. It was a interesting concept that made me want to take up the idea. After all, what could mess up religion more than these 'Angels' of NGE? Of course, the very nature and origin of the Angels are different here but I've attempted to merge the two universes into a single, slightly (ok, not so slightly) AU universe of To Aru.**_

_**I'll set some groundwork here in advance: There will be no massive giant robots or massive Angels. The Angels are… well, you'll see soon enough.**_

_**Without further ado, let us delve into this new universe, where we enter the story through a different perspective: Shinji Ikari. Please be aware that he is different from his canon self.**_

_**Chapter 1: Moving Blues**_

* * *

><p>16 years ago, a shower of meteors descended on the planet Earth. These meteors landed on Earth simultaneously, a strange cosmic phenomenon that attracted studies from many organizations in the world in an attempt to study their nature and compositions. But no one expected what they would find inside the tiny meteors. Decayed bodies of flesh and blood, eerily resembling the construct of a human being.<p>

Several of these meteors landed in international territory, where they were quickly taken in and disassembled by the world's leading city in technology and advancements: Academy City. The others landed in the European and American nations. One landed near Tokyo. But no one would expect that the decayed corpses were merely a shell for the strange beings that lay within. And, at the moment of landing, the souls of these beings were released.

Even fewer realized that this was but the herald of an age where humanity would have to fight for its very place on the planet they called home. Another group called the showers a miracle, for certain events that took place seconds after their landing.

In a hospital, as two scientists grieved over their stillborn son, the mother made a wish. As she closed her eyes and prayed to the God above, a raucous cry split the silent night, drawing wide eyes and slacked jaws from the doctors as the baby began to cry as his heart began to beat again. It was impossible, the doctors clamoured, the baby had died in the womb. And yet, the fact remained: he was alive.

It was a miracle, an act of God.

This what Yui Ikari believed as she held her son close to her, weeping tears of joy as he cried loudly.

_*** XXX ***_

_16 years later,_

"Let me get this straight," Ikari Shinji began, his left eyebrow twitching as he eyed his guardian with a look of disgust, "you're telling me that you've decided to move to Academy City because you've been transferred there but it didn't occur to you that I might not want to move there?" he faceplamed. Standing at about 170 centimetres tall, the black haired boy known as Shinji towered above his drunk guardian, Ryoji Kaji darkly. "Ryoji Kaji!" he barked loudly, causing the drunk man to cover his ears as Shinji began his rant again, "God, why did I ever have the luck of getting you as my guardian?" he lamented as Kaji grinned back up at him goofily.

"Come on, kiddo," Kaji began, leaning back against the couch of their home lazily, "Academy City is the premier place for students! The education system there is first class and the culture is largely based off Japan thanks to the proximity! It doesn't get any better for a high school student like you!"

"That. Isn't. The point…" Shinji ground out, "You're asking to throw everything I have here away and shift to a place I don't even know! And it wouldn't be so bad if you had decided to discuss this with me?"

"There's nothing for you to throw down, Mister," Kaji said bluntly, "All you have is… your kendo, your cello, your music player and Rei. You don't mix around in school, your kendo is excellent but you don't even go out for drink with them. Tell me, what exactly are you throwing away? Your loneliness?"

"… Damn you."

"I know, kiddo," Kaji grinned, knowing that this argument was over, "Besides, I've already handled all the paperwork. Rei is coming along with us, by the way. Your father has gotten approval from old Ritsy. There you have it. That is the reason why you're so reluctant right? Leaving your girlfriend behind?"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Shinji denied hotly.

"Then find one when you get there," Kaji said, "Why, when I was your age, I had girls throwing themselves at me like bees to honey!"

"So then why are you still pining over Misato-san every night by staring at her photograph whenever you drink?" Shinji shot back.

Kaji flinched, "Ouch kid, you really know where to hit…"

"…" Shinji finally let out a sigh, "You're hopeless, you know that? Fine, when are we leaving?" he asked, resigned to his fate.

"Oh, in two days," Kaji said sheepishly.

"TWO DAYS! Don't you have any sense of urgency?" Shinji sputtered, "Our furniture and…"

Kaji sighed, "Look, Shinji. We won't be living together until I can find a good place to stay. You students get your own dorms. I've already found you two one. You and Rei will be staying in the same dorm. And while I was at it, I also signed you up for the Power Curriculum Program."

Shinji let out a long-suffering sigh. "I give up. Do what you want." He muttered as he went into his room and slammed his door. Hard.

Kaji grimaced at the show of temper. At least Shinji showed it pretty darn well, his father on the other hand… He picked up his phone as it vibrated in his pockets and scowled at the name displayed on the screen. "Yeah?" he asked, struggling to keep his voice level.

"Has the boy been informed?"

"What do you think? He's throwing a tantrum here," Kaji said bluntly.

"It matters not what he feels. They have already begun to move. You know what this means, don't you?"

"Fine, fine. I get the message," Kaji muttered as he hung up. He glanced at Shinji's door again. "Sorry kiddo, but it's for your own good."

_*** XXX ***_

Two days later, Shinji Ikari stood at the ground level of his apartment, his luggage settled neatly on the ground in front of him. He sighed. Truth be told, while Kaji and him got along fine, Kaji was hopelessly irresponsible when it came to certain matters. His guardian loved to drink and smoke, not to mention the number of time he came staggering home with the heavy smell of perfume hanging all over him. Well, next to that, Kaji was a good man. He had taken care of him well when his mother had died in a car accident and he often went out of his way to make him happy.

Still, the sudden talk about shifting to Academy City had come out of the blue. Shinji kept a tight control over the household expenses ever since he reached 14, since Kaji loved to spend, and he had not come across any letters or documents regarding a transfer to Academy City. However, it was probable that Kaji had been busy finding a job rather than goofing off and getting drunk. Which certainly didn't seem like him at all.

And speaking of Academy City… Shinji glanced down at the brochure with a frown. Accordingly, it was more of a self sufficient country than a city, if what the research he had conducted over the past two days was accurate. Situated in international territory, the city boasted of technology that was said to be at least 30 years ahead of the present world's technology. The city owned two satellites, the most controversial of which was called the Tree Diagram. The satellite was rumoured to b outfitted with an incredibly futuristic Artificial Intelligence (AI) that was controlled by the founder.

But the main purpose of Academy City and the reason why many countries could not do anything about such a small state, was its Power Curriculum Program, an education system to unlock the latent powers of humankind, giving birth to psychic powers. The term for these psychics were conceived as Espers. Originally, Shinji thought that that the Esper stood for 'Extrasensory Perception' Users. However, the unofficial name was given as 'Extraordinary Special Powers' Users. Either way, the bottom line was that the city trained these Espers to develop and nurture their powers. However, out of the 2.3 million population of Academy City, only 80% were students and only 60% were said to be able to display any form of power at all.

Accordingly, adults there could not develop powers on their own, for some odd reason.

And while he had wanted to enrol in Academy City when he was younger, his mother had died around the same time he was supposed to go in. The whole thing was called off, of course, because he simply refused to budge. And now… he was leaving the High School his mother had studied in for this high school in Academy City which had the stupidest name he had ever seen in his life.

"Are you troubled?" Ayanami Rei asked him curiously, her crimson eyes flickering to him in concern.

Shinji smiled sheepishly back at her. Ayanami Rei was a childhood friend of his, where his father had attempted to cheer him up by introducing a playmate. Unfortunately, Rei was as introverted as they come and the two of them had not hit it off at the start. Still, the albino girl, with her blue hair and quiet nature had intrigued him. They had become very good friends, though it was more of brother-sister relationship sort of thing than what Kaji liked to imply.

"Just thinking about some things," Shinji admitted as he yawned, "I can't believe Kaji did all of this and didn't even bother to inform me until we were at the deadline," he complained.

Rei smiled lightly at that, "Irresponsible as always. Perhaps you should beat him over the head with your bokken."

"… That was supposed to be a joke right?" Shinji asked as her face returned to its bland and blank expression.

"Perhaps."

"…" Shinji reached for a wooden case, plucked out a bokken and lightly rapped Rei on the head, "You're learning," he said with a grin as she tried to puff up angrily and do a cute expression, "but I've known you for too long to be taken in by moe, Rei."

"It seems I may have to sharpen my skills at the art of being 'moe'," Rei surmised, producing a notebook from thin air and scribbling something down.

"I think I'm about the only guy immune here," Shinji said as she scribbled furiously, a sweatdrop appearing on his head as he saw her begin to detail their conversation, "Um… overkill, much?"

"Detailed analysis must be done. I cannot have you immune to moe," Rei explained in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That somehow sounds very ominous," Shinji said as he took a step back nervously.

The sound of tires screeching loudly and loud honks made the two of them look up in horror. Shinji paled, his face losing all colour as he realized just exactly who was going to pick him up. Rei was already pale, so no one could really tell if she was frightened. As the speeding car came into view, Shinji started shaking his head in denial. "Nononono… not her! God! Anything but her driving for the next day!" he wailed as the car skidded stop in front of him and Rei.

The door of the car flew open and "Shhhiinji!" a buxom, purple haired woman called out happily as she clambered out of the and unceremoniously grabbed him by the head and hugged him, burying his face in her breasts.

"Mis-upmh!" Shinji gave a strangled cry as she hugged him and his face went red as he realized exactly what his face was pressed again. Once again, he made another strangled sound, trying to get Rei to help him. The albino completely ignored him as she stared at her notebook resolutely. Finally noticing that Shinji appeared to be suffocating, the woman let him go, a wide grin on her face as she spread her arms wide for Rei and glomped her next. Shinji gasped for breath, even as he noted Rei's apparent disregard for being crushed against the woman's breasts.

"Misato!" he began, attempting to maintain his composure at seeing Rei's impassive face, which looked positively comical pressed against Misato's chest, "Why are you the one bringing me to Academy City?"

"Mou, Shinji! You make it sound like a bad thing!" Misato pouted as she finally let Rei go, "Kaji asked me to do it so I could catch up! And I agreed because it's been far too long, ne?"

"I wouldn't mind catching up," Shinji said bluntly, "but I want to have opportunities to do it in the future. Your driving really puts a number on my lifespan."

"Now, young man!" Misato leaned forward, an eyebrow twitching at Shinji's jab at her driving skills, "I'll have you apologize for being rude to an elder!"

"… It's the truth." Rei said.

Misato's mouth dropped open. "Et tu, Rei?" she whispered, her eyes wide in sorrow.

"… You know it's bad if Rei comments on it," Shinji said with a shrug.

"You two… are you dating?" Misato said after a moment of staring at the two of them.

"Why do all adults assume that because we hang out a lot, we are automatically in an intimate relationship?" Shinji asked aggrievedly, before something sneaky occurred to him, "You've been with Kaji, haven't you?" he deadpanned.

"Wh-What? No way! As if I could ever hang out with that immature, womanizing, lazy and insufferable oaf!" Misato declared, her face going slightly red in the cheeks.

"Uh huh," Shinji nodded sagely, "so that explains why you mirror his words exactly, right?"

Misato scowled, before crossing her arms over her chest with a huff, "You're no fun," she grumbled.

"So, uh… do we really have to get on?" Shinji repeated, eyeing Misato's car with barely concealed fear.

Misato grinned, her eyes shining at the chance to take revenge. "Yes."

Shinji only had one word to say: "Fuck"

_*** XXX ***_

Shinji only had thing to say: "I feel sick."

As Misato's car sped through the highway, having broken almost every law in the safety book while on the busy streets of Tokyo, Shinji felt himself calm down slightly. The speed was bearable, at least. Thankfully, Misato had refrained from doing some tricks that Shinji was sure would have landed them in jail or worse: the Hospital. Rei, slipping back into her usual emotionless self when she was not around Shinji, had her face buried in a Playstation Portable, playing some game called Monster Hunter. Shinji was frankly amazed that she could even concentrate on playing a game while the car was speeding at over 100 kilometres per hour.

Academy City was connected to Japan via a highway bridge but only those with special permissions were allowed to cross. The city valued its technology greatly and there was a great deal of security measures in place to prevent espionage. Thankfully, he wouldn't have to put up with Misato's reckless driving anymore, she had mentioned that they were taking a bus once they reached the immigration checkpoint.

Misato was Kaji's former boyfriend and a close aunt that had taken of them while Kaji was absent doing his work overseas. She was a quirky woman who took great pride in her looks and womanly charms. But she was not as simple as that. Despite her reckless behaviour and ditzy behaviour around them, she was a well-trained former army officer that had once been enlisted in a special units team. A competent sharpshooter and close combat specialist, Misato was the one who had spurred him to take Kendo and Karate classes as a form of self-defence and self-discipline.

She was also, though Rei never admitted it, Rei's instructor when it came to self-defence. Shinji had lost count of the number of times when he had been flung across the room as a result of sneaking up on her without warning. Misato was a scary woman, yet, at the same time, she was completely harmless. In short, Misato was a strange contradiction. Of course, while she would never admit it, she still had the hots for Kaji. It was too painfully obvious. Even Rei, who generally observed the world from a detached point of view, had caught on.

And that spoke volumes.

At a long last, the car came to a halt as they reached the checkpoint.

"Now, Shinji, Rei" Misato said as they got out of the car, "They'll begin to thoroughly check everything and issue you an ID card for identification purposes in Academy City. I don't think I've ever told you two this, but I work in Academy City as well."

Shinji blinked. Now that was news, "Kaji never said anything."

"He never says anything," Misato scolded, "but there you have it. I work for your father in the Academy City branch of NERV Pharmaceuticals as a manager."

"… My father huh?" Shinji said as his expression changed slightly.

Ikari Gendo, his father. Shinji could barely remember anything about him now. The last time he had seen him was two months after his mother died to throw him into Kaji's care. He had never shown up since. He still sent presents during birthdays and Christmas and kept Shinji's bank account healthy but other than that, he had never shown any inclination to patch up their relationship in the slightest. The fact that his father owned a business in Academy City was something new to him as well.

"Well, he's done all preparations for your transfer on Kaji's behalf," Misato said carefully, knowing that Shinji's father was a sore topic to him, "And you can pay him a visit there as well, I hear he'll be at Academy City to oversee operations for the next three months or so."

"I don't that's necessary," Shinji said flatly as he retrieved his luggage, "the only thing he has ever done for me is to make sure I can buy things for myself, I don't see why I should go looking for him."

"Now, Shinji," Misato warned, "No matter what, he's still your father."

"He's no father of mine," Shinji muttered as he left with Rei. Misato stared after his retreating back sadly.

"If only you knew what he was so busy with," she whispered.

_*** XXX ***_

The 'thorough' check was remarkably fast. They took his fingerprint and saliva and cross referenced it with their databanks to confirm his DNA, while another machine was used to analyze his passport and the luggage he had on his person. All in all, the whole process had taken less than fifteen minutes before the two of them were ushered onto a bus. As Shinji and Rei entered the bus, he was surprised to see Misato already there, sitting beside a guide.

"Misato? What are you doing here?" Shinji asked curiously, "Don't you have a car?"

"Oh, only registered vehicles can enter Academy City," Misato explained, "The car I used just now was for travelling within Japan only. I have a company car waiting for me inside Academy City, so no worries about that."

"I see," Shinji said as he and Rei took a seat behind Misato.

"I'll be accompanying you for your first day in Academy City," Misato continued, "Academy City is pretty safe but you do have the occasional thug and power users picking for a fight. Whatever you do, just try not to get yourself involved."

Yeah, yeah…" Shinji said as he took out his music player, closed his eyes and waited.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep, for when he next opened his eyes, a breathtaking sight greeted him. Massive skyscrapers dotted the landscape, contrasting with the lush flora that was growing within the city, an impressive feat despite how futuristic the place looked. Academy City had melded nature into its artificial landscape beautifully, giving it a highly sophisticated look. Security robots were all over the place, taking the sidelines with the sheer volume of students in uniform on the streets while blimps with some sort of holographic display floated in the skies.

This then, was Academy City, the city of schools.

"Amazing…" he whispered at the wondrous sights, "So this is Academy City."

"That's right," Misato turned to face them with a wink, "And you are going to love it here!"

The bus finally came to a stop in an interchange, where Misato ushered for them to get off, "Come on," she said as she got off, "I'll go get my car so I can bring you two to your dorms. Don't move around by yourselves, understand?"

Rei and Shinji nodded their assent as Misato went off to get her car. As Misato left, Rei finally smiled as she turned to face Shinji, "It's seems to be quite a nice place, Academy City," she said.

"Hmm… I'll reserve judgment on that until we settle in," Shinji said as he turned to observe his surroundings, only to have the breath knocked out of him as someone ran into him without warning. "Ow!"

"Oh, man! Such Misfortune!" the stranger that had bumped into him lamented loudly as they collided. Shinji winced slightly at the pain, his eyes flickering to the black haired teen that had bumped into him carefully. He was dressed casually in a white uniform with an orange shirt beneath it and a pair of black pants, a seemingly ordinary high school student. "I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" the teen asked sheepishly as he held a hand out to Shinji to help him up.

"Yeah, no worries," Shinji said, relaxing at the student's friendly voice.

"Hey, you! Kamjiou Touma! Stop running away already!" a female voice suddenly demanded. The teen jumped, his face turning to a look of dismay as a brown haired girl came up to them, her face flushed with anger.

"Again?" the teen called Touma whined, "What's up with you today, Biri Biri? You get so angry when I was talking to Himegami, suddenly running up to me and challenging me to a fight and you don't even give me a chance to apologize to a stranger that I just knocked over?"

The girl called Biri Biri flushed even more brilliantly, "The name is… Misaka Mikoto, idiot!" she suddenly seemed to flare brightly and Shinji watched in amazement as she released a bolt of electricity from her body. So, was this what they called an Esper? This was seriously unreal! Touma's response was to shove his right hand in front of him and Shinji blinked as he saw the electric current fizzle on the arm harmlessly. Wait, what?

Electricity? An arm unaffected by an electric current? What the heck had he just gotten himself into? These were just some of Shinji's thoughts as he and Rei looked on at the two teens, amazed by the display of power they had just seen.

Their adventures were just beginning.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ending Notes: This is a little short and probably a little too direct insertion into the To Aru universe, but it'll get better as we go along. I actually finished this a while back but recent events had me a little too busy to work out the errors in the document and even post it up. Of Science and Magics is currently… well, in the works but for the first time in many months… writer's block. ARGH!<strong>_

_**This fic will be a mid-priority fic, meaning I will work on it and post once every two to three weeks. It most likely will not clash with 'Of Science and Magics' update speeds once I get my mojo running again.**_

_**Next chapter will be much better, promise. ^^**_


	2. To School

Chapter 2: To School

_**Author's Notes: Yep, the second chapter of this series. I would warn you that it takes broad strokes from both sides and I must admit that writing this has been nothing short of 'extremely challenging'. Still, I think this one has potential. **_

* * *

><p>Shinji slowly began to back away as the brown-haired girl continued to emit electric sparks dangerously like a broken wire. Rei followed his cue while the young man who called himself Kamijou Touma simply sighed. "Such Misfortune," he lamented as he placed both arms on his waist in a questioning manner. "You know," the teenage boy said in an exasperated tone, "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were jealous with all the times you get angry at me talking to another girl."<p>

"Wah!" Mikoto's face exploded with heat, "Who the heck would be jealous over something like that!"

"Well, then would you mind giving me a clearer explanation of why you started chasing me around the place, blasting electricity wildly while scolding me for talking to that 'big-breasted girl'?" Touma asked plaintively. Himegami didn't even have big breasts to begin with.

"Whu!" Mikoto blinked, rationality finally catching up to her and the lack of suitable explanations for her irrational behaviour caused yet another flushed face as she struggled for an answer, "W-well… I… Gah! You've been ignoring me and my emails so I got annoyed and then I see you talking to that girl and… you jerk!" she finally yelled at the top of her voice before she realized what she had just said and ran for it before anyone present could say or do anything.

Touam stared dumbly at Mikoto's trail of dust as she ran, her words ringing in his head. He tilted his head lightly, "I didn't quite catch that…" he said sheepishly as Shinji restrained the urge to facepalm. Was this guy that dense? That girl's crush on him was so obvious it was as visible as the redness on her face.

"Um, excuse me," Shinji finally said as Rei walked up to them, "But what was that all about?"

"Wha? Oh!" Touma, finally remembering that Shinji and Rei were here, turned to look at them curiously, "Oh, don't worry about it, this happens all the time. Well, at least I think it used to. After that experiment and coming back from the beach this is what I get…" he sighed, "Such Misfortune."

Why was this guy babbling? Shinji thought to himself as Rei tilted her head curiously at this guy. "But, how did you block that electric attack? So that was an Esper ability, right?" Shinji asked, suddenly very interested to know the mechanics behind this turn of events.

"Oh, that's my power," Touma said, comprehension dawning, "Wait, this means you're foreigners, right?" he glanced down at their bags, "Are you here to enroll in Academy City? Or just vacationing?"

"We're here to enroll," Shinji replied, relaxing slightly. This guy didn't seem so bad, "We're still in the process of moving in though."

"Ah, is that so?" Touma grinned, "My name is Kamijou Touma," he held out his right hand and Rei actually took the first step and shook Touma's hand. Shinji would have gaped if he wasn't so busy trying to keep himself from falling over in shock. Rei never took the initiative. Never. Was this Kamijou Touma some kind of chick magnet? He looked like any sort of plain Japanese kid you can find off the street and Ayanami friggin Rei is taking the initiative? He further watched in amazement as Rei's face actually seemed to take on a pink hue as she drew back her arm shyly.

"Ayanami Rei," she whispered.

And then he grinned evilly.

Oh, he was so going to have so much fun teasing her later.

"Ikari Shinji," he said, unable to keep the smirk off his face as he grabbed Touma's hand.

*CRACK*

Shinji jerked, his eyes going wide as a sudden pressure and nausea gripped him. "Ugh!" he grunted, a splitting pain seemingly arcing through his brain as Rei ran forward to grab him before he could fall, Touma jerking his right hand back in response with shocked eyes as Shinji grabbed his pounding head, the pain subsiding a little as he shook it lightly to clear the throbbing pain.

"Are you ok?" Rei murmured, Shinji feeling his world right itself as his light-headedness receded.

"Y-yeah," he replied, "Sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"Have you been in contact with anyone strange lately?" Touma asked suddenly, his eyes slightly hooded.

"What? No, not really, why?" Shinji asked curiously, the pain finally dying down.

"Nothing," Touma said, scratching his head almost nervously, "look, it's been nice meeting you but I gotta go. Hope you guys settle in without much problems." Without another word, he waved and took off in the opposite direction while taking out his phone.

The two of them blinked.

"Well, that was weird," Shinji remarked blankly as Rei nodded her agreement. "Oh Rei~" Shinji said in a singsong voice as he remembered what he had been about to do, "Someone seems to like what she sees."

"Eh?" Rei looked at him blankly.

"I mean him," Shinji nodded in Touma's direction, "you seemed to like what you saw."

"Nonsense." Rei huffed.

"You're blushing, someone is in luurve~" Shinji pointed out, a triumphant smile on his face.

"…" Rei turned away, even as her face reddened further. Shinji laughed. Well, it was refreshing to see her acting and feeling like a girl for the first time in years. Rei was beautiful, everyone in his previous school could attest to that. But she was just so quiet and never really seemed to take interest in much girl activities or any of the so-called good-looking guys in their school.

Not until today, that is.

"Don't worry about it Rei," Shinji said as he finally choked back his laughter, "it's good to see you act like a girl in front of someone else for a cha- OW!" Rei stomped on his foot wordlessly as Misato's car swerved into the curb, causing Shinji to almost fall in its path. "Why you little…" he scowled at her as she smiled sweetly at him, before stepping aside as Misato bustled out of the car and went straight for him.

Oh, fuck.

_*** XXX ***_

"I told you, Rei stepped on my foot," Shinji complained, glowering at Rei while the albino simply stared at him innocently.

"Hah!" Misato snorted, "Don't be ridiculous Shinji, Rei wouldn't do such a thing. I'm disappointed in you, attempting to act so reckless at your age."

"But…" Shinji gnashed his teeth as Rei seemed to beam beatifically at him before returning back to her normal, emotionless expression. "Oh, never mind," he muttered, swearing that he would get his revenge soon. All he needed was time. Oh yes, time. A jolt of pain went through him and he winced, wondering what exactly had happened for his body to be reacting so strangely to that handshake. Did that Kamijou Touma person do something to him? But then, Rei had been totally unaffected.

How strange.

"Are you ok, Shinji?" Misato asked in concern as she saw him rubbing his temples with a pained look.

"No, it's ok," he assured her hastily, the pain once again receding.

"You sure?" Shinji noticed Misato exchanging a furtive look with Rei as she peered at him piercingly.

"I said I'm fine," Shinji repeated stubbornly.

"If you say so…" Misato didn't sound too convinced as she let the topic go, her driving actually decently acceptable for once as she turned into a driveway, glancing at her Personal Desktop Application Device (PDAD, a PDA designed for use in Academy City) for reference as she braked, slowly reversing into a parking lot. "Well, here we are!" she said cheerfully as they got out of the car, walking over to the boot to retrieve their luggage.

"Wow," Shinji exclaimed, surprised. Wow indeed. The dormitory was huge. Luxurious even. Heck, he knew Kaji was well off but this room could have belonged in a five-star hotel luxury suite and it wouldn't have been too far off the mark. This suite was a middle-class suite? What would define a high-class one then? Shinji couldn't even begin to imagine it. "This city is really ahead of times," he finally said as he dropped his luggage on the floor of his appointed apartment, the sound of heavy plastic and metal ringing across the vast room as he scratched his head. "So I'm living here… alone?"

"Apparently," Misato said, putting both hands on her waist as she looked around the massive apartment with an almost envious look, "I know they treat the students well here but wow. This is economic class huh? That Kaji, always being stingy but yet he's willing to spend so much on you."

"Hey, I'm practically his guardian," Shinji pointed out reasonably, "If it weren't for me managing our household expenses, he'd be spending all his hard-earned money on booze and women," he wrinkled his nose in distaste, "at least he had the sense to go all out but…" he sighed, "I think this might be a little overboard."

"Hm, well, Rei got the same suite as well," Misato said as her phone vibrated, her eyes lowering to read the message on her phone with an almost weary expression, "Ok, I gotta get back to work, so I've left the details of your school and other information on your table. I think a teacher is coming over to welcome you guys to her class, so be ready to receive her tomorrow, understand?"

Shinji nodded as Misato gestured for Rei to leave with her. Turning back, he scratched his head again, indecision evident as he looked around the spacious apartment. "Hm," he finally got out, "this might actually be a problem."

_*** XXX ***_

"Ah, it appears I have an unexpected guest," a man says, his gaze faintly unperturbed by the sudden entrance of a being who radiated power from his very core. Floating upside down in a tube that continually fed oxygen and nutrients to him, Aleister Crowley tilted his head lightly. "What brings you here today, Apostle?"

"You know what I'm here for," the being said in a distinctly male voice, the shadows forming to take the shape of a man. Red eyes peered out of the shadows, a warm smile on his face as he bowed respectfully to Aleister Crowley.

"Indeed," Aleister replied calmly, his lips curling into a semblance of a smile as he eyed the one he called 'Apostle' nonchalantly, "An Absolute Terror field was detected earlier in Academy City."

"Who is it?"

"Someone new to this city," Aleister didn't sound particularly interested, "perhaps you could use your esteemed intelligence network to find out his or her identity. I'm afraid I'm still in the midst of upgrading mine."

"Are you trying to be funny?" the red-eyed being responded, sounding rather amused, "How unlike you, Aleister Crowley."

"Perhaps."

"…" Eyes narrowing, the red eyed being finally nodded, "It seems that I'll have to impose on your city for the time being, Aleister."

"Please do," Aleister replied.

"Very well, I will be sending in three of my fellow Apostles to the city. Please arrange suitable identifications and accommodations for them," the being continued as he bowed again, before vanishing without a single trace.

"This should prove to be most entertaining," Aleister remarked as he shut his eyes, allowing the silence of his Windowless Building to once again take over.

_*** XXX ***_

"… Who are you?" Shinji asked bluntly as he opened the door the next day to see a pink-haired girl at his doorstep.

"Ah! I'm your sensei! You must Ikari Shinji-chan! You can call me Komoe-sensei, desu~" the pink-haired girl introduced herself with a wide smile.

"Ah, you're my – WHAT?" Shinji gaped, blinking as the words registered in his still sleepy brain and he stared at the little girl proclaiming to be his teacher, "I'm sorry if I sound offensive or something but I kinda find that hard to believe, actually," he tried to sound as polite as possible but could not keep a giggle from escaping him at the sheer ludicrousness of her statement.

"Ah! I'm your sensei, I tell you! Look!" Komoe puffed up indignantly as she shoved her identification in Shinji's face, promptly wiping his smile off his face as he glanced at the card disbelievingly, then back at Komoe. And back at the card again.

"No way in hell," he finally got out and his eyes fixed on her age stated in the card in wonder.

"Any remarks on sensei's age will earn you my ire, desu…" Komoe warned as a black aura suffused her petite body and Shinji involuntarily took a step back as her aura seemed to warp around her, giving her a demonic visage.

"Ah… hahaha…" Shinji laughed nervously as he handed the card back to her, finally remembering to bow as he decided that this diminutive… woman was a lot scarier than she looked as she smiled back at him with enough malice to make him go pale. And then, it was gone and she was back to the friendly pink-haired… sensei.

"Now, I do remember there's one more person I'm supposed to pick up… Ayanami Rei, isn't it?" Komoe said to herself as she kept the card in her wallet, "Sensei will go and get Rei-chan, so Shinji-chan, get ready and meet me downstairs in 10 minutes, ok?" It wasn't a request.

"Oh, ok," Shinji said, deciding that risking her ire was probably a very, very bad idea. As the childlike teacher left, Shinji rubbed his temples wearily. Well, Academy City was home to some strange things alright.

_*** XXX ***_

Shinji whistled as the school came into view. Wow, if this was just an ordinary High School in Academy City standards, then what dictated a good school? This city was beginning to make him feel like Alice stuck in wonderland – Out of place.

"These facilities appear to be rather well-equipped," Rei noted, tilting her head curiously at the sight of someone riding atop of what seemed like a cleaning drone. "I was not aware that one could ride on cleaning drones."

"You can't," Komoe pointed out, her eyes widening as she spotted who Rei was talking about, "On the other hand, Sensei will ask the two of you to ignore that maid. She does that all the time," she sounded resigned, "Come on, sensei will show you to your homeroom."

"Man, this place is huge," Shinji remarked, "they don't call it a city of students for nothing, I guess."

"Academy City is devoted to quality education and we teach subjects and topics that many people find rather interesting," Komoe added with a smile, "Sensei teaches Esper related topics and mathematics. So don't skive off in sensei's class or sensei will punish you very severely."

"What? Me?" Shinji pointed at himself, "What about her?" he pointed at Rei.

"Rei-chan doesn't seem like the kind of person to misbehave, desu~" Komoe replied.

"You're joking," Shinji muttered to himself in disbelief, "You do not know what she is capable of." That last part was said under his breath.

"Ah! Here we are!" Komoe said cheerfully as she pushed the door to the class open, "Wait here till I call you in," she whispered as she entered the class and, "Ahem." To Shinji's amazement, everyone suddenly fell silent in an instant as though they had just seen the most terrifying thing in their life. "Now class, we've got two students transferring into our class today!"

"Really?"

"Is one of them a babe? Or both!" a certain blue haired boy shrieked in excitement.

"Nyah! Knowing Kami-yan's luck, it probably is!" a certain yellow haired guy added.

"Oh, just stuff it," someone beside him grumbled.

"Come in and introduce yourself, you two!" Komoe called. Sighing, Shinji and Rei walked in.

"AHA! YES! It's an ALBINO!" the blue haired guy yelled triumphantly as he jumped out of his seat in excitement, "Kami-yan, this one is mine!"

"Wha? Albi – Oi! It's you!" the black haired 'Kami-yan' or better known as Kamijou Touma, pointed his finger at them in shock as he recognized the two new students he had just met yesterday.

"What! The demon already knows that chick!"

"NOOO!"

"You bastard!"

"She isn't affected by his disease, is she?"

"Ah! As expected of Kami-yan, already raising flags before the heroine has even stepped foot into the game!" the yellow haired man snickered.

"Oi! Tsuchimikado! Stop comparing my game to a galge damnit!" Touma barked.

"Ah! Kami-yan! An albino too! You already have a loli nun, a tsundere ojou-sama that tackled you in the middle of a walk, a legal jailbait teacher and so many more than I could list them all right now!" Aogami accused, "Why you even -"

"Argh! Such Misfortune! Aogami! Stop talking!" Touma demanded as the class began to go out of control.

Shinji sighed.

Oh boy. Maybe life here was going to be far more complicated than he had originally thought.

Such Misfortune indeed.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: And the Kami-yan disease strikes once again! Not to mention the thickening of the plot. Onwards!**_

_**P.S: Done with 'Of Science and Magics' research. Back to typing now.**_


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